HP TouchSmart tm2 - a tablet, a notebook and multitouch too

After the apparent success of the first touch-enabled notebook aimed at consumers, HP has today honed the design with the arrival of the HP TouchSmart tm2. It's a convertible notebook comfortable both in laptop or tablet form thanks to the swivel screen and it's multitouch enabled for all zoom, scroll and rotating manoeuvres.

The idea behind the machine is that it's adaptable for all environments and includes a digital pen for writing on the screen when in tablet form for note taking purposes.

It runs a low voltage Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a discrete ATI GPU and the rest of the specs are the consumer's choice when you get to the online store. The six-cell battery offers a reported 9 hours life, there's a finger print reader and it's all wrapped up in an aluminium chassis thermodynamically designed to keep the computer cool.

It's out in the States from 17 January, comes in all sorts of colours and starts at $949. Doubtless a UK and EU version will follow.

Dan's love affair with tech began in 1985 with his first computer, the Enterprise 128. After a psychology and zoology degree at university, a career on stage and screen he joined Pocket-lint in 2009. Dan has now moved on to pastures new.